The argument I had with my father when I walked through the door, my dress wrinkled and dirty and my hair undone, my heels in my hand.
Things between us are more strained than they’ve ever been, and I’m… done.
Blinking, the page of calculations in front of me comes into focus. I should have enough for a small apartment, at least for the first few months.
My mind slips to Ravenhall, but I push it away.
We barely know each other. Even if my feelings are starting to become deeper.More. With every passing day, every time I speak to them, every time they do something to make me fall a little more in—
You don’t even know what love is, Briar.
But it’s starting to feel like maybe I do. And maybe it looks like three men, who walked into my life at a time when I didn’t even know how much I needed them.
It frightens me, how much I need them. They’ve made me no promises. Jenson said he wanted to try, but he hasn’t mentioned it since.
And our second night is tonight. My body tingles at the thought.
Heavy footsteps yank me out of my reverie, my body jolting as I almost launch myself off the table. “Hello—,”
My words cut off. Blinking, I stare at the blond visitor. “Philip?”
He looks out of place here, even as he glances around while straightening his camel-coloured coat. “Briar.”
“What are you… why are you here?” Flummoxed, I straighten as he takes in the mannequins, the dresses draped over them. The empty space. His lips twist in silent judgment.
“I wanted to speak with you after last night. And I realized I’d never seen where you… work.” The small pause, the slight tilt of his lips is all I need to know he’s assessing and finding my studio wanting.
My hackles rise as I glance to the closed door. “What did you want to speak about?”
At my sharp words, he turns to look at me. His pale brown eyes sweep my face, tightening at the corners. “You don’t seem like yourself at the moment. Not last night. Not at the dinner with my mother. I wanted to check on you. You left the gala very abruptly.”
I wait for him to mention the engagement, but he doesn’t. “You could have at least let me know you got home safely.”
I deflate just a little. “You’re right. I’m sorry for leaving like that. I felt a little sick, but I’m fine now.”
Philip examines me as if I’m lying. “My mother was not impressed with your behavior when you met, you know. You’ll need to work harder next time you see her. You don’t get a second chance at a first impression.”
His pointed, precise words tell me exactly why he’s here. “You weren’t concerned about me, were you? You’re here to lecture me. About leaving last night, about the dinner with your mother. About all of it.”
My words spill out in the space between us. “You don’t evenknowme, Philip. Not really. And what you do know, you don’t seem to like. Why do you even want to marry me?”
He tugs at the edge of his sleeve. “It’s a good match. I’ll be taking over as partner from your father when he retires, merging our firms together. It makes sense.”
My brows crease. “That’s it? You can have that without needing to marry me. It would be easier on everyone, including my father.”
He smiles at me, then. And I realize that I’ve never seen him look at me like he is now. Like he’s really looking, instead of scanning me for flaws. “You’re very beautiful.”
Something clenches in my stomach, and I take a step back. The edges of my desk press into the backs of my thighs. “And?”
He follows me, stepping closer. “I don’t need anything more than that. Your personality is irrelevant. Your behavior is… regretful. But we’ll train that out of you sooner or later.”
It’s not desire that heats my skin as he pushes into my space, my body leaning back over the desk. It’s something darker, as I look over his shoulder to the closed door, to the empty space around us. I’ve never been alone with Philip before, my father always acting as a buffer between us.
Fear.
It floods my body as I strain away from him. “You make me sound like a pet.”
Philip lifts some of my hair in his hand, running it through his fingers. The polite, bland mask slips from his expression. “You’ll be whatever I tell you to be. Come here, Briar.”
